


Day 035

by Josh_the_Bard



Series: A Year in Kirkwall [35]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:22:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22568533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josh_the_Bard/pseuds/Josh_the_Bard
Series: A Year in Kirkwall [35]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589257
Kudos: 1





	Day 035

Brennan woke to find her breakfast already laid out on the floor in front of her. Jeb was awake already and had eaten his share of the food. The side she had been sleeping on was numb with cold, despite the warmth outside. It was frigid in the room they were being kept in. That probably meant it was a cellar, only one entrypoint. The elves had provided them with blankets but that didn’t make the floor warmer. 

Their captor, an elf who always appeared with a demonic looking mask, was sitting patiently at the other end of the room watching them.

“Good morning,” they said. They waited as Brennan ate her food and then passed her a parchment, ink, and quill. “Your captain wants proof that you are alive,” they explained. “If you are to be released alive you need to write her a letter in your hand and say something about yourself we wouldn’t know.”

Brennan took up the quill and started writing. 

Guard captain Aveline,

Everything is well except that I am being held captive by some elves. Guardsmen Wight and Derek are dead but Jeb survives with me for now. 

Here, Brennan broke the head of the quill. 

“This would be much easier if my hands weren’t tied up,” She complained. Their captor said nothing but produced another quill. Brennan took it and continued. 

Tell Donnic that the adventures of DonnEN BRENNokovic are absolutely based on the time I single handedly uncovered an Orlesian spy in Hightown.

Yours truly  
Guardswomen Bre

Here, she broke her quill again but she has apparently written enough to appease her captor who took the letter away. Brennan waited several minutes to make sure they wouldn’t be back before taking up the broken ends of the quills. One still has a hard point in the end and she was able to use it to separate a strand of rope from the thick cours that bound her hand and feet. Once it was loosened she switched to the other quill which was broken off in a jagged end, and began sawing through the strand. It took hours of work to make it through enough strands, but it was worth it when her bonds fell away from her wrists. From there it was a simple matter to untie her legs and to free Jeb.

They had both been stripped of their armour and were clad only in their woolen padding, the upside was that they didn’t need to worry about their armour clanging when they tried to sneak. The two guards made their way to the stairs out of the cellar and Brennan pressed her ear to the door. She could hear a slight rustling of activity some distance from the entrance. She tried the door and found it to be locked.

Brennan took off one of her socks and took up position by the door. She motioned for Jeb to stay back. 

“Help,” she called out. “He’s bleeding! Did you poison our fucking food or something?” Brennan heard a key turn in the latch and pulled the door open before whoever was on the other side could. It wasn’t their usual captor and her mask was slightly askew. Brennan drove a fist into her see plexus, driving the air out of her lungs before she had a chance to scream. Brennan then pulled the mask off and jammed her sock in the elf’s mouth. Brennan felt worse about that than the punch, she had been wearing that sock for three days straight now. 

Brennan grabbed the rope to tie the elf up but Jeb laid a hand on her shoulder.

“We don’t have time,” he said. “We should kill her and get moving.”

“We don’t know what the situation is outside,” Brennan snapped. “If Wright hasn’t already started a riot, killing her surely will.”

Jeb didn’t say anything. He just glowered at her. 

“Help me tie her up,” Brennan said. “That’s an order... recruit.”

Only then did Jeb move to help her. It didn’t take long for the two of them to secure their captor, turned captive, and soon they were creeping out the ground floor window and into an alley.

Brennan found a holding spot with a good view of the surrounding area and did a quick survey of the Alienage. 

“There are armed elves patrolling the streets,” She whispered to Jeb. “It looks like they have guards posted at all the entrances.”

“I can take a few elves,” Jeb whispered, puffing up his chest like some Orlesian chevalier.

“Shut up,” Brennan muttered. “I know one of the elves here. If we can make it to her house we might be able to hide out there until we get a shot at escape.”

“I’m not trusting my life to some knife-ear. She’ll turn us over to the others.”

“Recruit, until we get out of here,” Brennan hissed, “You are under my command and will follow my orders.”

“Sod that-“ Brennan cut a Jeb off with a sharp jab to his throat. A palm to his chest laid him out on his back and a knee in his groin held him there. She leaned over him so they were nose to nose.

“I don’t care what you think of these elves but you have caused me enough trouble already. Either you follow my orders exactly or I knock you out and leave you here for the elves to find. Are we clear?” Jeb said nothing so Brennan ground her kneecap into his testicles and asked again.

“We’re clear,” he muttered sullenly. 

With Jeb suitably cowed, Brennan led the way from shadow to shadow, careful to avoid the elven patrols. Eventually they reached Merrill’s door. Brennan knocked softly at first but with increasing volume the longer they were exposed. She realized that she didn’t have a plan B and, for the first time since being captured, started to panic. 

Fortunately Merrill opened her door before anyone saw them. 

“Merrill,” Brennan said pushing her way inside. Jeb followed close behind. “I hate to impose but we need a place to hide.”


End file.
